The Public Record Office

Anne Crawford describes Britain’s national archive of official documents, and the ways in which it is developing to meet the changing needs of its users.

Few historians, professional or amateur, are unaware of the Public Record Office (PRO), the UK’s national archives, and there are few historical pursuits that do not lead at some point to its doors. It is the nation’s memory, containing the records of central government and the central courts of law dating back nearly a thousand years, to William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book of 1086. It is also a modern, evolving, organisation, constantly seeking ways to improve its services to users.

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